A union steward admitted Wednesday that a successful ballot measure to limit the pay of El Camino Hospital's top brass was only intended to influence the outcome of labor contract talks.

However, the Mountain View-based health care provider should consider the will of the voters before issuing any kind of legal challenge, psychiatric technician Kary Lynch told The Daily News.

"Truthfully, the measure was initially proposed as a bargaining chip in the negotiating process," Lynch said. "We picked salaries because it was something that resonated with the voters."

With all 108 precincts reporting, Measure M had received 51.9 percent of the vote, or the simple majority it needed to pass, according to unofficial semi-final election results posted on the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters website.

El Camino Hospital spokeswoman Chris Ernst said the board of directors for both the hospital and hospital district would likely consider whether to fight the measure in court when they meet next week.

"We've questioned the legal premise from the very beginning," Ernst said in a telephone interview.

Measure M limits the pay of executives, administrators and managers to twice what the state's top official makes in a year. As of December, Gov. Jerry Brown will be paid $165,000. Fewer than 10 of El Camino Hospital's employees will be affected by the pay cap, Ernst said.

CEO Tomi Ryba is among them. She draws a salary of $695,000 and is eligible to make an additional 30 percent in bonuses.

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Lynch said the measure was a direct response to the refusal of board members last year to meet with employees amid tense labor negotiations between hospital administrators and Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West.

"They weren't acting like elected officials," Lynch said. "They turned their back on us and the public."

Free health care was ultimately eliminated in a contract imposed on the 1,200 workers represented by SEIU-UHW, Lynch said. Union members have said the perk is an industry standard.

Since then, the administrative team responsible for the contract has been replaced, Lynch said. The union also reached a new three-year deal in September that restores the free health care.

The union was reluctant to mount a campaign as the election neared because it had gotten what it wanted, Lynch said. Instead, his focus turned to backing the candidacies of Dennis Chiu, Julia Miller and Bill James, all of whom indicated they would avoid a repeat of last year's situation.

Chiu and Miller were elected Tuesday, as was incumbent John Zoglin.

Lynch said he doubts the union would defend Measure M if it ends up being challenged in court. However, given the voter support it received, he is hopeful someone else will pick up the mantle.

"I feel it would be a betrayal of the voters to completely back down from this and say it was just a bargaining chip," he said. "I think there is a real issue here and it needs to be decided by the courts."

Meanwhile, hospital spokeswoman Ernst said the results of the election could change. She noted that more than 150,000 absentee ballots remained to be counted Wednesday, and that as many as 25,000 of them could affect the final outcome of Measure M.

"Obviously, if it does pass we'll be disappointed," Ernst said. "Until the results are certified, we're focused on the job at hand, which is providing the best care we can for our patients."